A Love Letter I Didn’t Expect

Everyone wants to create “touch points,” a favorite buzzword for marketers. A touch point is that intersection between your business and your customer, where you interact and communicate something – hopefully, something of value.

Touch points have to offer value, have emotional power and provide a tactile experience of the five senses: sight, sound, scent, taste and touch.

I want to introduce you to touches, love letters to your customers wrapped up in sensory stimuli.

I recently ordered a new headset from headsets.com. The package arrived right on time. I expected to see my headset and an invoice. Instead, as I opened up the package, all kinds of treats rolled out onto my desk. How many “touches” were in this package? The answer is eight:

1. Testimonial card, to build trust.
2. Brochure, to cross-sell existing customers.
3. Warranty card, to reduce the risk; it reinforces the decision to buy and helps overcome buyer’s remorse.
4. Thank-you notecard, to show appreciation for the purchase.
5. Ambassador package, two referral cards to stimulate referrals; this provides directions and the tools to make it easy for your customers to refer you.
6. “We Love Our Customers” sticker, to show the love and appreciation.
7. Personal packing sticker, to shift from an interaction with a nameless corporate employee to a real person (“Oh, it was packed by Matthew”).
8. An invoice, to show transparency.

Then, a handful of Tootsie Rolls spilled out onto my desk. What a wow! Headsets.com showed me the love. What a welcoming experience. It was entirely unexpected, and if it was designed to make me feel good, it worked.